2023 World's Strongest Man Competitions and Results: Mitchell Hooper Dominates with Impressive Results

The 2023 World's Strongest Man competition was held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from April 19 to April 23. It showed the world's most powerful athletes. The event brought together 30 contestants from various countries. After intense competition over two days in the qualifying stage, the field was narrowed down to the top ten athletes. Those then athletes competed in six additional events to determine the final winner. 

Mitchell Hooper emerged as the champion, becoming the first Canadian to claim the title.

The performance of Mitchell Hooper at this year's World's Strongest Man competition was outstanding. He got 1st position among the qualifiers. He won four events and continued his exceptional form in the finals. He also secured another four event victories. Hooper's remarkable performance throughout the competition got him the title of World's Strongest Man.

Tom Stoltman showcased incredible strength and performance and got second place this year. Oleksii Novikov finished in third place.

Here is the final leaderboard of the 2023 World's Strongest Man competition:

Leaderboard: 2023 World's Strongest Man

There were two recaps, one was the Final recap, and the other one was the Qualifying recap. Each recap had days and events allotted. 

The final recap had two days, day one and day 2. Both days had their events. 

Day 2 had the following events:

  • Max Dumbbell
  • Bus pull
  • Atlas Stones

Day 1 had the following events:

  • Reign Shield Carry
  • Knaack Deadlift
  • Fingal’s Fingers

The qualifying recap also had day one and day 2. Both days had their events too.

Day 2 had the following events:

  • Conan’s Wheel
  • Kettlebell Toss
  • Stone Off

Day 1 had the following events:

  • Loading race
  • Deadlift Machine
  • Log Ladder

Below is a detailed overview of both recaps and respective events too. 

Strongman 2023 World's Strongest Man Final Events Recap

Day Two: Finals Recap

Event 1: Max Dumbbell

Max Dumbell

The second day of the finals began with the Max Dumbbell event. Competitors were tasked with lifting a massive dumbbell to their shoulder and performing an overhead press with one hand. The athlete who lifted the heaviest weight would be awarded the maximum points for the event.

To start the day, Mitchell Hooper impresses everyone with the victory. Singleton also emerged as a strong contender, with both men lifting 140 kilograms. As a result, they shared the first-place position and received 9.5 points each.

Novikov, Kordiyaka, Tom and Luke, all got third place lifting 132 kilograms. Each of them earned 6.5 points.

Unfortunately, Jaco Schoonwinkel withdrew from the competition following an incident during the first event.

Event 2: Bus Pull

Bus Pull

In this competition, athletes had to pull a bus weighing 20,000 kilograms using a rope. They were required to cover a distance of 25 meters within a time limit of 60 seconds.

Mitchell Hooper continued to impress everyone and won another event. He got the the maximum points. He was the only athlete who managed to pull ahead of the pack, finishing with a time of 30.24 seconds. 

Evan Singleton and Tom Stoltman both tied in the Bus Pull event. Both athletes completed the task in 32.27 seconds, earning them 8.5 points each.

Event 3: Atlas Stones

Atlas Stones

The Atlas Stones event concluded the 2023 World's Strongest Man competition. Athletes had to lift and place five heavier Atlas Stones in the shortest possible time. Tom Stoltman won in this event too. He finished all five stones in 33.26 seconds. Mitchell Hooper secured second place with a time of 36.96 seconds. Trey Mitchell completed all five stones as well, finishing in third place.

Day One: Final Recap

The first day of the 2023 World's Strongest Man finals showed the incredible strength and determination of the athletes as they competed in three events.

Reign Shield Carry, Knaack Deadlift, and Fingal's Fingers pushed the competitors to their limits. Leaderboard saw some amazing performances and surprising outcomes.

Event 1: Reign Shield Carry

The Reign Shield Carry event tested the ability of athletes to carry a massive metal shield weighing 196 kilograms (432.1 pounds) for maximum distance. Mitchell became the winner, showing great skills. Pavlo Kordiyaka, one of the strongest performers, broke a rule and received a 20-meter deduction. Here are the top performers:

  1. Mitchell Hooper — 64.8 m
  2. Tom Stoltman — 63.15 m
  3. Oleksii Novikov — 55.87 m

Event 2: Knaack Deadlift

Knaack Deadlift

The Knaack Deadlift event showcased the raw power of athletes as they had to perform as many repetitions as possible with a total weight of 353 kilograms (778.2 pounds) within a 60-second time limit. Mitchell Hooper continued his winning streak, securing first place with 8 repetitions. Below mentioned names are the top performers:

  1. Mitchell Hooper — 8 repetitions
  2. Oleksii Novikov, Trey Mitchell, Mathew Ragg, Brian Shaw — 7 repetitions

Event 3: Fingal's Fingers

Fingal's Fingers

In this event, the athletes flip five pole-like implements within a 60-second time limit. Tom Stoltman emerged as the event winner, completing the challenge in an impressive time of 39.36 seconds. Here are the top performers:

  1. Tom Stoltman — 5 in 39.36 s
  2. Oleksii Novikov — 5 in 42.26 s
  3. Trey Mitchell — 5 in 48.46 s

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

 2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

2023 World’s Strongest Man Group Stage Leaderboard

Strongman 2023 World's Strongest Man Qualifying Events Recap

Qualifying Recap – Day Two

In the 2023 World's Strongest Man competition, the athletes showed incredible strength and determination, fighting through intense challenges to secure their positions.

Let's take a look at the events and how the competitors fared.

Event 1: Conan's Wheel

Conan's Wheel

Conan’s Wheel, which is known for its grueling nature, proved to be a tough challenge for the strongmen. The task involved holding a 200-kilogram beam in their forearms while attempting to cover as much distance as possible. Here are the results for each group:

Group 1

Group 1

Group 2

Group 2

Group 3

Group 3

 Group 4

Group 4 

Group 5

 Group 5

Event 2: Kettlebell Toss

Kettlebell Toss

The Kettlebell Toss event focuses on speed rather than strength. Athletes had to throw seven kettlebells, ranging from 20 to 31 kilograms, over a 4.57-meter-tall beam as quickly as possible.

Let's see how they performed in each group:

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Group 5

Event 3: Stone off

Stone off

This event involved only the competitors who finished 2nd and 3rd place in each group. In this contest, the athletes start by lifting and throwing heavier and heavier Atlas Stones toward their opponent's side. The first athlete who couldn't lift the stone was declared the loser. The 2nd place finisher had a small advantage because the 3rd place finisher had to attempt the lift first.

Stone off Group 1

Qualifying Recap — Day One

Event 1: Loading Race

In the Loading Race event, athletes had to pick up, carry, and load various objects within a time limit of 90 seconds.

Group 1

Loading Race Group 1

Group 2

Loading Race Group 2

Group 3

Loading Race Group 3

Group 4

Loading Race Group 4

Group 5

Loading Race Group 5

Event 2: Deadlift Machine

In the Deadlift Machine event, athletes had to perform quick transitions to heavier weights between each repetition.

Group 1

Deadlift Machine Group 1

Group 2

Deadlift Machine Group 2

Group 3

Deadlift Machine Group 3

Group 4

Deadlift Machine Group 4

Group 5

Deadlift Machine Group 5

Log Ladder

In the Log Ladder event, participants had to complete five logs of increasing weights in the shortest time possible within a time limit of 75 seconds.

Group 1

Log Ladder Group 1

Group 2

Log Ladder Group 2

Group 3

Log Ladder Group 3

Group 4

Log Ladder Group 4

Group 5

Log Ladder Group 5

Winners of the previous World’s Strongest Man

Years

Winners

2021, 2022

Tom Stoltman

2020

Oleksii Novikov

2019

Martins Licis

2018

Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson

2017

Eddie Hall

2011, 2013, 2015, 2016

Brian Shaw

2009, 2010, 2012, 2014

Žydrūnas Savickas

2006

Phil Pfister

2004

Vasyl Virastyuk

2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008

Mariusz Pudzianowski

2001

Svend Karlsen

2000

Janne Virtanen

1998

Magnus Samuelson

1997, 1999

Jouko Ahola

1993

Gary Taylor

1992

Ted van der Parre

1991, 1994-1996

Magnús Ver Magnússon

1989

Jamie Reeves

1984, 1986, 1988, 1990

Jón Páll Sigmarsson

1983, 1985

Geoff Capes

1980-1982

Bill Kazmaier

1979

Don Reinhoudt

1977-1978

Bruce Wilhelm

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